Wichita eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1886-1890, 1887-10-19
RAMBLKs ABOUT EUROPE.
From England to Egypt Especially for
the Eagle
NO. XVIII.

l NO. XVIII.
l We left Interlaken for Berne, the capita
OF the little republic. which has nothing
especially to commend 1t to the tours,
either In The way of scenery or the works
of art. The shops are poor, but the hotels
judging by the one Of which we were
guests, very good. 1t is true, one has a
view Of the distant mountains named In 8
preceding letter, but when person has
been TO the top Of Pixies Peak 1t losses In
terest viewed twenty or thirty miles away.
So with the JupgfJau and other peaks of
the Alps. The distance that lends en-
chantment 10 the view" Is q fraud In both
instances. The alternating animal known
as the bear Is an emblem Of local pride as
much 80 as the American eagle In our land
Fer instance, there Is bear pit maintained
at the public expense. In one Of
the fquaies Is foe equestrian
statue with four large bronze bears
guarding 1t at each corner. Go which
ever way you will, you either see statue
where the bear figures prominently, or a
woodcut or painting Of bruin, or something
TO remind you that if these people were
idolsters they would worship bear The
wood carvings IN the shop windows bear q
verJ close rest blance to bear. In fact,
| they are bears, Of all conceivable designs,
and are the only souvenir of the capital
city that the tourist bears away with him.
Leaving BeIne without regret, we trav-
eled by rail to Lausanne, thence short
distance by omnibus to Oucby. superb
watering place on the shore of Lake Leh
man, thence by steamer up the lake. past
the noted fortress OF Chillon, immoralized
by Byron, and Vevay, the scene of Rons-
saus' Helvise, to Vilenure, where We again
boarded the train, changing cars at Mart.
igny for Vernaysz, where we spent the
night. Before breakfast the next morn
ing we sailed out to visit the
much talked Il Gorge du-Trient,
something IKE the Rryal Gorge of The Ar
kansas In Colorado, only much more con-
trscted and scarcely as impressive. After
breakfast we found the open space in front |
of the hotel filled with one horse vehicles, |
some,h hing of the nature Of buck board, |
to transport US over the Tete Noire pass to |
Chamonix.
As am somewhat partial to mules SO
lec'ed the only one In the outfit. a great
stout fellow, who never once on that long
tedious Trip that consumed the whole day.
gave me any provOcalioD for regretting the
wisdom of my choice. His driver was a
with all the daring qualities OF a
Hank Monk supplemented by the polite
ness Of Frenchman and the acuteness OF
q down east Yankee Observing my
Grand Army badge when unbuttoned my
coat he took me for some knight Of high
degree and the salams he made from
time TO time as he walked
up the steep mountain road, ever and anon
looking back at me, were worthy of the
homage paid to an eastern potentate. We
occupied position in the middle Of the
caravan but my dr. yer was of that heroic
ype that leads but never follows On en-
eriDg a town just before commencing the
ascent of the mountain pass he fell out of
he procession and ST, cred his mud into q
BY street and then laid on tie whip. L
couldn't divine his purpose at first, but
u X
racks for a wine shop and didn't want the
to know it, but when he fl W by
Without stopping at any Of these and came
'ut on the main road at the head Of the !
'utft saw that il was strategy, strategy, /,
ny boyT After this until the main sum |
nit Of the first mountain was attained he
rusted the mule 10 me and took :
hort cuts up the by-paths, putting Z
o time, ostensibly for the purpose of seeing
the mule was "biowed." bur In realty to
axe off his hat and salute me- That mule
Vas worthy Of such master That n as
er was worthy Of such mule The road !.
vas the steepest we traversed In Swi ger
and, but that mule never turned a hair. .
lie outwalk.d any Thing that wore har-
ess. and as a reward We pulled him up ,
lnder the shade of a tree-for 1t was an
hot day-apd gave him a rest |
very few minutes until the nearest v, bicle q
lad caught up. This afforded US decided /,
,omfort denied to the others, for 1t was ,
teady pull from bottom to top for their /.
AIDED horses, and as consequence their !.
passengers had to sweat 1t out under an i,
Now that driver knew on which
ide his bread was buttered He couldn't |,
peak word Of English, and my 5
french was all Greek. Lain and Hebrew
O him, but he knew by ,
that when he got to the end Of the !
cute that be would pocket forty sous add
ional. When he tipped his cbsppeau for
he last time my small change was dinin !
shed to just that extent.
Stopping for lunch when well down the 4
everse side of the mountain, the name OF 9
he place II l ever knew have since for I
,otten, and my notes In relation thereto 8
re blank, but Il deserves mention In this
for 1t Is one Of the lovely spots {
II earth, not lovely 10 tame sense, as 8
lower garden might be, but In sense Of I
,randeur, blinded with the picture, que and !
ubdued by the ,respassipg hand OF man q
Tut close TO the mountain tide was the
oadway with bsIely room sufficient to =
liant hotel and few struggling cottages. l
attached to the hotel but soping away
rom II, was we'll kept garden, ard be- 1
'oDd the garden wall the jumping off place I
Here reclining in The verge Of the precip'ce {
*neath the shade Of friepGlv tree, iour l
ourists took in the situation with that calm !
on'en'edness that goes with frame rec "
ring from partial exhaustion an appetite I
ppeased and 8 com ciepce void Of tffense |
There was JUST magic enough In the sur J
Uundings 10 make one feel that all II ere c
vas Of life lay In the present Snow cap I
Nd sentNels peeped over the Intervening
edger OF somber rock from whence leap, d
win csscs6,s that met their doom IN The
eplhs b low. where huge boulders 10 The
'ed If q roaring torrent churned their com
mingled WATERS into foam
A cavern'sy awpirg NE nth 10 which rude t
'eps conducted dowuwsrds. wss suggestive |
n ri - u